Johannesburg — Orlando Pirates have their sights set on playing African football next season and to do that they need to end the season among the leaders.
Pirates started the season on high, winning the MTN8 crown. But they struggled late in 2022 and early in 2023 in the DStv Premiership.
However, the Sea Robbers have since turned the tide, winning their last three games in a row - although they remain out of the title race.
The Bucs currently trail leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by 24 points, with only 12 games left to play in the season.
So with the title all but in cabinet at Chloorkop for a sixth successive term, teams such as Pirates are chasing second spot.
And should Pirates achieve that finish, that would guarantee them a return to the prestigious CAF Champions League competition for the first time in four seasons.
“We are taking games as they come and making sure we collect three points all the time. We'll see where we end up,” defender Bandile Shandu said.
“But as Orlando Pirates FC and players, we want to play in the CAF Champions League next season.”
Those upcoming games that Pirates will need to focus on, and win, include Saturday’s titanic clash against log leaders Sundowns at Orlando Stadium.
Sundowns will make the trip to Soweto as favourites, having won a record of 14 league games in succession.
The Brazilians have been so dominant that coach Rhulani Mokwena has been rotating his players in the past few weeks without halting their winning run.
With Pirates recently finding their mojo under Jose Riveiro, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to cope with the Brazilians, who are set to bring back their best players.
“We are aware of how they play and the quality players that they have. So it’s just a matter of working on ourselves and improving,” Shandu explained.
“We need to rectify what we didn’t do right from the last game and make sure that as a team we are ready for the challenge that they’ll pose to us.”
Pirates captain Innocent Maela added: “Each game that we play, we want to win and get better as players. But we want to focus on ourselves as well.
“We want to stick to the game-plan and ensure that we play the match, and not the occasion. We are concentrating on ourselves and trying to get better."
A lot has changed since the two teams met late last year in the reverse fixture where Pirates lost 2-0 as the Bucs have made two signings in the transfer window - Souaibou Maro from Cotton Sport and Makhehlene Makhaula from AmaZulu.
Makhaula is a well-known figure in local football, having made a name for himself by being a hard-nosed midfielder and an astute skipper.
“He'll bring more of his qualities. I know he's a good leader and a competitor. He’s one of the hardest guys in the league,” Tapelo Xoki said of Makhaula.
“We like to have that in the team, and we are hopeful that we’ll have a good time with him. Hopefully, he will integrate very well with the other guys.”
IOL Sport